


Sunlight and Shadows

by Rosalind2013



Series: Sunlight and Shadows [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Acts Like a Cat, Alternate Universe, Awkward Adrien Agreste, F/M, Marichat May, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Is a Sweetheart, Matchmaker Alya Césaire, Nino Lahiffe Ships It, Sort Of, Were-Creatures, Werecat Adrien Agreste, Werecats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2019-04-20 05:31:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14254059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosalind2013/pseuds/Rosalind2013
Summary: She was small and dressed in a rain jacket that looked a few sizes too big. Rain was in the forecast for later that day, but the sky looked rather clear so far. Urban Fantasy AU with a sprinkle of Sci-Fi.





	Sunlight and Shadows

**Author's Note:**

> Never have I ever written a strictly Marichat story, and apparently I'm not about to start now.

Streetlights illuminated the streets of Paris while cabs and the odd pedestrian strolled by. It was rather early in the morning, and there was still a nighttime chill in the air.

A figure darted over the rooftops, noiseless and graceful as it blended into the shadows.

It came to a stop, propping a foot up on the lip of the roof and leaning over the edge to watch the street below.

It just so happened that a pedestrian was passing by below, filling the empty streets with the scuffling sound of her footsteps. She was small and dressed in a rain jacket that looked a few sizes too big. Rain was in the forecast for later that day, but the sky looked rather clear so far.

Apparently, she didn't want to be caught unaware.

"What is Marinette doing out this early in the morning?" the figure mused, voice low and soft and distinctly masculine. It could be dangerous for her to wander the streets in the dark.

He straightened up and surveyed the skyline; the slightest bit of pink was beginning to peek over the horizon.

"I've still got a few minutes before the sun is up," he muttered, slitted eyes flashing as they caught the light. The girl down below looked over her shoulder, seeming a bit startled.

The boy stiffened, ears flattening against his head as he waited to find out if he'd been caught. She hadn't seen him, though.

He smirked in amusement when she laughed off her paranoia and continued on her merry way. She had a nice laugh. It reminded him of sunshine and morning dew.

The wind picked up and blew the distinct scent of baked goods in his direction, and his mouth watered.

Perhaps she was making a delivery. She was certainly carrying a few boxes from the bakery. He wished he could go down there and carry a few for her, but he knew he couldn't be seen.

Making sure she got to her destination safely was something he could do, though. He hopped to the next roof in order to continue keeping an eye on her.

She hummed a little tune as she went, and walked with a little skip in her step. It almost looked like she were dancing.

Marinette came to a crosswalk and stepped off of the curb, blissfully unaware of the taxi that was about to blow through the stoplight. The boy didn't think, he only reacted.

One minute, he was staring in wide eyed horror at the scene about to unfold, and the next he was yanking Marinette out of the street by her arm. The boxes went flying, pastries littered the sidewalk, and he found himself standing face to face with his classmate.

_A classmate who wasn't meant to see him._

She was pale and her eyes were wide as saucers. The boy didn't - _couldn't_ \- think about the implications of her seeing him, so he decided to focus on her for the moment.

"Are you okay?" he inquired. He belatedly realized that he was still holding onto her arm, and jerked his claws away as if she'd burned him.

Marinette looked terrified, eyes darting between him and the cab that raced down the street. She swallowed, and spoke with a warbling voice, "You... You're a werecat."

His ears flattened and then he shook his head furiously, as if he could shake off her statement. The whole situation was too overwhelming.

"Are you okay?" he repeated, trying to look calmer than he felt.

She blinked dazedly and glanced down, as if to make sure that all of her was still there, "I think so."

He took a deep breath and let it out in a gust, "Good. That's good."

They stood in silence for a while, both unsure of how to proceed. What does one say when they save someone from being flattened by a cab and are caught _existing_ in the process?

Humans believed that all the supernatural beings had disappeared. Heck, _he'd_ even thought they were all gone before he'd been bitten.

Marinette finally seemed to gather her wits and offered the boy a sweet smile.

"Thank you for saving me. I'd offer you a cookie, but..." she gestured to the baked goods that littered the ground.

She wasn't screaming. That was a good sign.

The werecat gave her a wry smile, fangs flashing in the streetlight, "That's a shame. I hear it's the best bakery in town."

He took a little step to the left to stand in the shadows, conscious of being seen by any more people. Marinette smiled kindly and extended her hand, "I'm Marinette."

The werecat hesitated, tail flicking in agitation as he tried to decide his next course of action. "I can't tell you my name," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

Marinette nodded thoughtfully, taking stock of the black fur that covered most of his body.

"Then I'll just call you Chat Noir," she decided.

"Very creative," he snickered.

The girl rolled her eyes, a smile pulling at her lips, "It'll have to do until I can think of something else."

He grinned and shook her hand, "I'm Chat Noir. Nice to meet you, Marinette."

Then, he did something rash.

He flipped her hand over and drew it to his lips, brushing a kiss against her knuckles. She squeaked in surprise, and it occurred to him that she might have been worried he'd bite.

After all, he was a werecat.

Luckily, she didn't punch him in the nose or run away screaming. She gasped and then pulled her hand away with a coy smirk. "Are you flirting with me, kitty cat?"

He decided that if he'd already dug himself a hole, it would do no good to try talking his way out.

At this point, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to. That confident smirk on her face made his heart skip a beat. He had no idea that Marinette could be so captivating, and he wanted to see more.

"What if I am?" he replied, lowering his voice and adding in a wink for dramatic effect.

Marinette laughed, eyes dancing with amusement. "You're something else, Chat Noir."

"And you're gorgeous, Princess," he purred, ignoring the fact that the sky was lightening and revealing more and more of his features. She chuckled and accepted the compliment with an amused grin.

The light touched his face, and her smile softened, "I thought you were all black, but your hair is blond."

He started, slitted green eyes blown wide as he took a step back toward the receding shadows.

"The sun!" he exclaimed, absolutely horror-stricken. He flattened himself against the wall of the building, eyes darting around in a panic as he tried to find an escape route.

It was an open space; no alleys or alcoves to duck into, and he knew for a fact that the closest safe place was too far away for him to not be spotted by an early morning pedestrian.

Rooftop travel was out of the question. The shadows were beginning to disappear, and his black fur would stand out against the orange morning sky. It was an advantage at night, but during the day it was a hazard.

Marinette seemed to realize this too, and stripped off the oversized rain jacket she'd been wearing. She shoved it into his arms, seemingly unruffled by his claws when they brushed her arm.

"Put this on," she ordered, eyes narrowed in determination.

He didn't argue, pulling his arms through the sleeves and hiding his tail as best he could. Marinette's fingers brushed his shoulders as she reached up to pull the hood over his ears.

"There!" she announced, placing her hands on her hips as she regarded his disguise. She nodded in satisfaction at her hasty solution.

"Thank you," Chat Noir murmured, clutching the hood tightly for fear that it would fall and expose his ears.

Marinette smiled radiantly, and his heart stuttered in response.

"You're welcome. Better get going though. People will start walking to work soon," she warned.

He grinned and gave a little bow before taking his leave.

He found a secluded spot to shift into his human form, and walked back to his house at a leisurely pace. His head was filled with thoughts of Marinette, and he couldn't bring himself to be bothered by it.

She was brave, and kind, and incredibly cute.

Adrien hugged the rain jacket to his chest, smiling and sighing all the way home. He scaled the side of the house, climbed through his window and collapsed on the bed, not at all sorry that he'd pulled another all-nighter.

It was worth it.

Marinette hadn't seemed to care that he wasn't fully human. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever believe he'd find someone like that.

He couldn't wipe the grin off of his face; even when he walked into school about an hour later. Nino raised an eyebrow at his best friend.

"Dude, are you even human?" Nino remarked with a scowl.

Adrien's head snapped up, "What?"

The boy shook his head disbelievingly, "Nobody's this happy in the morning. You must be an alien or something."

Adrien relaxed and laughed heartily, "I'm not an alien. I just had a really great dream."

Nino chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder, "That's great!"

Then Marinette walked through the door. She was giggling in response to something Alya said, and Adrien was immediately struck by how utterly _gone_ he was.

She was so beautiful.

Sure, he'd always known that she was amazing, but he always assumed that she was out of his reach. He'd never considered her in a romantic way because Marinette would never be interested in a werecat.

But that morning had given him a little spark of hope, and he couldn't stop himself from falling. Hard.

"Bro, did you just sigh?" Nino inquired, looking a bit unnerved.

Adrien sat up ramrod straight and blushed fire engine red.

"No?" he replied, averting his eyes from Marinette's smile in a futile effort to be nonchalant.

Nino craned his neck to follow Adrien's previous line of vision, and gave his friend a baffled look.

"You're crushing on Marinette?" Nino asked, obviously knowing the answer already.

Adrien laughed unconvincingly, "What? No. I don't have a crush on anyone, Nino. You know that."

Nino barked out a laugh, "Not 'till today!"

The blond boy furrowed his brow at his friend, "Seriously. I don't like anyone."

The DJ arced an eyebrow and patted his friend's shoulder sympathetically, "Denial, my dude."

Adrien crossed his arms indignantly, "I'm not in denial!"

Silence fell between them, and the irony of the whole thing hung in the air. It went without saying that his statement sounded like something a person who was in denial would say.

Adrien slumped in defeat, "Oh."

"Good morning, Adrien," Marinette greeted, giving a friendly wave. He wasn't sure when she'd approached, but he was thrilled that she was addressing him.

It did occur to him that she could never know that he was the werecat she met earlier in the day.

So he definitely needed to behave like she hadn't just become his entire world a few hours ago.

He rested his chin in his hand and flashed her a magazine-worthy smile, "Hey gorgeous."

That was not what he meant to say.

The classroom fell silent, and Adrien wished the ground would go ahead and swallow him up. Marinette was gaping at him, and his stupid 'charming' smile was frozen on his face. Maybe if he didn't move, it would all blow over.

If it worked with bears, perhaps it would also work with social humiliation.

Marinette's cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink, "Um, I- Uh, thank you?"

Adrien finally cracked, and blushed crimson before he dropped his head on the table with a loud thump; his arms came up to hide his face from view. Nino patted his back in solidarity, but it did little to comfort him.

He heard Marinette's footsteps head up the steps, and the chair scraped as she and Alya took a seat in their usual spot.

"I think you came on too strong," Nino stage whispered.

Adrien peeked out from the safety of his arms to shoot him a flat glare, "You think?"

Marinette's amused giggle emanated from behind him, and he buried his face in his arms once again. Her giggles cut off suddenly, and he guessed Alya must have jabbed her with an elbow.

The bespectacled girl cleared her throat rather loudly, and Adrien cringed knowing that there was still attention on him despite the fact that he was trying to hide.

"I wasn't laughing at you, Adrien. I just think you're cute! Honest," Marinette explained.

He managed a sound that he hoped was assuring, and kept his face hidden. Marinette looked a bit discouraged and began to fidget.

"Give him a minute," Nino suggested, still patting his back. A beat of silence passed between the friends, and then Adrien's head shot up. He whipped around to face Marinette with a hopeful smile.

"Wait. You said cute?" he clarified, green eyes warm and excited.

The girl smiled shyly, "Y-Yeah?"

"Adrien, please face forward," Ms. Bustier called, looking rather amused by the scene before her.

The boy whirled around obediently, "Sorry!"

The class erupted into quiet chuckles, which halted when Chloe walked through the door. She was thankfully oblivious to the events that had just transpired, and no one was keen to enlighten her.

It didn't make her entrance any less awkward, though.

"Miss Bourgeois, you are tardy," Ms. Bustier stated with a disappointed shake of her head. The girl shrugged it off and marched to her seat like she owned the place.

The day passed slowly for Adrien, who tried his best to pay attention to the lesson. If the little hearts doodled in the margins of his notes were any indication, he was not very successful in his endeavor.

As soon as they broke for lunch, Chloe was attached to his arm. The way she cut her eyes at Marinette told him that she might have noticed the extra attention he was paying to the dark haired girl.

The next few days, Chloe spent as much time as possible keeping him away from Marinette. He only got to speak with her during the lulls in classwork, but he decided that he could be content just listening to her voice behind him.

On their way out during lunchtime, nearly two weeks after the life-changing taxi event, Chloe had a cruel gleam in her eye that meant trouble.

The whole class could feel the disaster coming, similarly to how animals seemed to be able to sense a coming storm. Adrien was especially antsy, what with the smug looks she directed his way.

Marinette happened to catch Chloe's eye, and the blonde smirked as she clung to his side. Marinette rolled her eyes at Chloe's theatrics, and then the blonde girl tugged him down abruptly.

He neatly avoided Chloe's sneaky attempt to steal a kiss, and thought that would be the end of it. It wasn't the first time he'd dodged Chloe's affections, after all.

She would normally act as if nothing had happened, since she never liked to acknowledge any kind of failure.

This time, however, she continued her pursuit. He tried to step away and his back hit the wall. She'd cornered him. As Chloe closed in, his feline instincts jumped to the forefront of his mind.

He needed to escape.

Or he needed to fight.

His fingers twitched as his claws threatened to emerge. The more rational, human, side of his brain told him that he wouldn't be in any real danger if Chloe kissed him.

But Chloe would be in _immeasurable danger_ if she succeeded, and that was enough to activate his fight or flight response.

She grabbed the front of his shirt and rose up on her tiptoes so that she could reach his face, but he twisted out of her grasp. She refused to give up though, so he dropped down to avoid her grabbing hands and rolled to his feet a few meters away.

He stood glaring at her, chest heaving and pulse racing from the rush of adrenaline. If he were in werecat form, his fur would be standing on end.

Chloe's face crumpled with hurt at his reaction, which she quickly covered up with a fake smile and dismissive wave.

"If you were shy, you could have just told me, Adrikins!" she called, looking for all the world like she was unaffected by his rejection. He could see the tears forming, though, and it was like a stab in the chest.

If there was one thing he knew for certain about Chloe Bourgeois, it was that she did _not_ cry.

His stance relaxed, and he stepped forward to reach for her. "Chloe, I-"

She shook her head and avoided the hand he tried to place on her shoulder.

"I'll talk to you later, I need to take care of some things at home," she announced, sticking her nose up in the air as she sauntered out.

He sighed and hung his head. He had no idea how he could make things right with Chloe. His instincts had clouded his judgement and he couldn't very well tell her that.

Nino and Alya, being the amazing friends that they were, tag-teamed to shoo away the gathered crowd. Marinette approached Adrien with a downcast gaze.

"I'm sorry, Adrien. I think she was angry at me. Sabrina told her I was "after you", and she started trying to make me jealous," Marinette admitted, scuffing the toe of her shoe against the floor.

Adrien shook his head at her, "That doesn't mean it's your fault. I overreacted. This is all me."

Marinette shook her head. Her stance was resolute as she disagreed, "Chloe is at fault here, too. If you didn't want to be touched, she shouldn't have forced it on you."

He noticed that Marinette was standing a further distance away than usual, and wondered if she thought he didn't want to be touched at all.

It may have been a bit selfish, but he didn't want Marinette to be discouraged from being close to him.

"I don't mind being hugged. I love hugs, actually. I just..." he trailed off, unsure of how to word it so that he wouldn't have to tell her that his saliva was contaminated.

He supposed he could say he was sick, but it would only be a temporary cover-up. Then again, it wasn't like Marinette was going to try kissing him anytime soon; she wasn't like Chloe.

"You don't need to have an excuse, Adrien. Have you ever tried just telling her no?" Marinette suggested.

He blinked. The idea of telling Chloe no was foreign and strange. How would she react?

"I haven't," he replied, feeling a bit sheepish at the simplicity of it all.

Marinette smiled kindly, "Honesty is an important part of friendship. If I were Chloe, I'd rather know the truth."

Adrien felt his heart begin to race again, and he offered her a big grin, "You're incredible, Marinette."

Her cheeks warmed, and Alya appeared at her side. "You bet she is!" the girl remarked.

"You guys wanna get lunch?" Nino offered, having successfully rid the hall of spectators.

"Sounds great!" Marinette replied, face still a bit pink. Nino slung an arm over Adrien's shoulders as they walked out, and Marinette stood a normal distance from him.

At some point on their walk, their fingers had started brushing, and he wished he had the nerve to reach for her hand.

He gave Chloe a day to cool down before he headed over to the hotel to apologize to her. They talked it out, and while she was unhappy that he wasn't interested in her, she promised to stop doing things that made him uncomfortable.

He still allowed her to hang onto his arm, and she switched from trying to steal kisses to giving him tight hugs. After a while, the hugs became less about a public display of affection, and more about comfort.

It was nice to be greeted by a warm hug every day, and it seemed to put Chloe in a less surly mood as well.

At night, he still escaped onto the Parisian roofs to slink through the shadows as Chat Noir. He kept Marinette company on her early morning deliveries more often than not, napped in the afternoon, and stayed up all night again. He used to hate routines, but he found that he didn't mind that one.

He was comfortable and happy, and head over heels for the dark haired girl with pigtails.

The four friends walked to lunch together, chatting about nothing in particular, when Alya mentioned something that effectively jarred Adrien from his new comfort zone.

"There's a new movie about werewolves coming out. It's supposed to be historically accurate, so I'm pretty excited about it. I mean, it really sucks that they're extinct, though. I wish I'd been around to advocate for them back then," Alya ranted.

Nino scratched his head, "Isn't it a virus, though?"

Marinette nodded, "It is."

Adrien tried to ignore the racing of his heart. "So isn't it good that the virus doesn't exist anymore, then?" he asked, feigning obliviousness.

Alya's eyes gleamed in a way that told them she knew something they didn't.

"I've done tons of research. Not everyone who was infected with the Lycanthropy virus became a werewolf. A lot of people showed flu like symptoms after exposure, but never shifted," Alya explained, looking pleased with herself.

Adrien tilted his head to the side, "So what does that mean?"

Alya grinned at having caught their attention, "My theory is that you have to have certain genetic markers in order for the virus to activate in a way that causes shifting."

Nino rolled his eyes, "Which means?"

"Werewolves existed before the virus did. The descendants of those werewolves didn't have enough werewolf in them to shift, so after a few generations, it didn't matter anymore. Then a virus came along that caused werewolf symptoms in people with werewolf genes." Alya explained, nearly bouncing in place with excitement.

Marinette tapped her chin, "So you're saying that people who got turned into werewolves were already werewolves to begin with?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically, "Exactly! They didn't know it, but they had enough markers for the virus to activate it."

Adrien looked floored, "Could you send me your research? I'd really like to look into that."

Alya nodded, "Of course! I post all of my discoveries on my blog. Super easy to find, and all my sources are cited."

Nino shook his head in amazement, "Wow. That's pretty cool."

The bespectacled girl chuckled, "Now, don't expect the movie to be that accurate. It is just a movie after all, but I think it should show us what real werewolves were like, since they researched behavior patterns and stuff."

Marinette giggled, "We don't need to watch the movie anymore, Alya will tell us all about it."

"We could go after school tomorrow," Adrien suggested, eager to hear more of Alya's theories.

The blogger grinned, "Great idea! Are you free then, Marinette?"

The girl shrugged, "Yeah, I don't have any deliveries to make on Friday nights."

Nino gave Adrien a conspiratorial wink, "Great! All four of us can go together."

Adrien stiffened as he realized just why his friend was so excited about the arrangement. Marinette's beautiful bluebell eyes met his, and he tried to remember to breathe.

He was so far gone.

The next day went by in a blur of doodled hearts and anxiety over whether going to the werewolf movie was a huge mistake. Granted, werecats were usually more of a footnote in the history lessons.

The wolves were more noticeable with their large numbers and massive size, which made the cats look a lot less threatening in comparison. It was just as well, because Adrien need not worry if he happened to slip up in public.

He was eternally grateful that no one seemed to notice his more catlike qualities. He knew that the new movie had to be terrifying for werewolves who were trying to hide among the humans. If it was too accurate, people would know which traits and behaviors to look for.

All the more reason to see the movie, then. He needed to be prepared to cover his tracks.

When they arrived at the theater, Adrien immediately noticed a boy who looked skittish. He laughed along with his friends, but there was a tenseness in his shoulders. The wind picked up, ruffling Adrien's hair; the two boys locked eyes across the crowd.

Understanding passed between them, and Adrien instinctively knew that the boy was a werewolf. He'd never met a werewolf before, but there wasn't a question in his mind that this guy was one, and he'd obviously caught Adrien's scent on the wind.

The werewolf looked a bit puzzled, and Adrien supposed that he'd probably never met a werecat either. He had a lot of questions, but it would be odd of him to strike up a conversation with a random stranger, so Adrien turned back to his friends' conversation about which vegetables were tolerable.

They were finally seated in the theater, and all he could smell was popcorn, Marinette's shampoo, and a faint trace of werewolf. He decided to focus on the fact that Marinette was sitting beside him, and turned to her with a smile.

His smile faltered when he realized that she looked troubled.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, taking full advantage of the fact that he had to lean in closer to do so.

She turned to him with a forced smile, "Nothing!"

He frowned at the obvious lie, and her smile fell away.

"Well, what if they weren't extinct? I mean, if they were trying to hide from us, this movie would be so scary to them," she whispered, wringing her hands with worry.

She was worried about Chat Noir. She cared about the silly werecat who followed her around in the mornings. He felt a dopey smile stretching across his face.

He was struck, once again, by how truly amazing Marinette was. How in the world could one girl be so absolutely wonderful?

How in the world could that absolutely wonderful girl care so much about someone like him?

She didn't know it, but he was definitely _her_ cat; domesticated and tamed by accident. He felt like his heart would thrum right out of his chest.

He was lost in a blissful haze of Marinette, and froze in horror when he realized that his chest was vibrating. Apparently, it wasn't his heart that was thrumming.

Adrien wasn't sure how it happened or when, but his face was buried in her neck, and his arms had locked around her waist possessively.

"Adrien?" she whispered, voice sounding a bit strangled.

He realized that he was still purring like a car engine, and the loud movie music wouldn't mask it from the audience forever. He jerked away from her, panic gripping him like a vise.

The rumbling wouldn't stop.

Where it was originally triggered by happiness, the cause of his current predicament was his mounting anxiety. His feline coping mechanisms were going to be the actual death of him.

He tried to level out his breathing, but his panicked state was making it difficult. Marinette jumped up and grabbed his hand, yanking him from his seat and dragging him out of the theater with steadfast determination and a lot of ' _excuse me_ 's.

They stopped just outside of the building, their breathing heavy from nerves and their impromptu jog. After a while, Marinette turned to him with a thoughtful gaze. He avoided her eyes by watching pedestrians walk by on the opposite side of the street.

The boy started a bit when she spoke.

"Are you okay?" she inquired.

Adrien ducked his head in shame, "Yeah."

She ducked as well so that she was in his line of sight again, and offered him a sympathetic smile.

He frowned, "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. Th-That's never happened to me before, I-"

Marinette took his hands in hers and gave him a charming smile that stunned him into silence.

"It's okay. You were just a happy kitty," she murmured, an amused look in her eye.

Adrien cringed, "Ah, I didn't do anything weird, did I?"

She giggled, "You mean besides rubbing your face all over my neck?"

He flushed bright red and extricated his hands from her grip so that he could bury his face in them, "Oh please no."

Marinette laughed and waved her hand dismissively, "I've never been scent marked by a cute boy before."

The blond groaned in mortification, "You must think I'm a creep."

The girl tapped her chin as she thought, "I didn't think that at all. I was just surprised that you were being so...uh, _forward_. I was fine after I realized what you were doing."

He peeked out at her from between his fingers, "Why are you so cool about all of this? I purred and scent marked you, and basically follow you around like a lost... well, not a puppy, but..."

The girl smiled sweetly, "You're a person, just like me. You're just a little different, and that's okay."

Adrien removed his hands from his face and allowed her to look him in the eye again. His expression was full of adoration, and she blushed under his intense gaze.

"I wish everyone were like you. My father would have a conniption if he found out what I am," Adrien breathed.

Marinette's brow furrowed, and she hesitated before reaching for his hand. She sighed and gave his fingers a squeeze, "I'm sorry."

The stood there in silence for a bit, hands joined and staring into each other's eyes. His eyes drifted closed slowly, and he hummed in contentment, the beginnings of a purr making his voice jump.

Marinette's lips quirked up in a coy grin, "Thanks for saving me from that taxi, Chat Noir."

Adrien's heart stuttered out a staccato beat of excitement at the flirty tone in her voice. He loved this game. He leaned down so that they were nose to nose.

Adrien smirked mischievously, and Marinette blushed to the tips of her ears.

"How about a thank you kiss, Princess?" he flirted.

She giggled in response and leaned closer to oblige. Just as her lips nearly brushed his, reality hit Adrien like a ton of bricks.

He turned his head at the last possible moment, causing her kiss to land on his cheek instead of his lips. Marinette gazed at him in confusion.

Hurt started to set in as she assumed that he hadn't meant his flirting, and his heart squeezed painfully.

"I-I want to, Marinette. I really do, but it's- I'm contagious," he blurted.

Understanding dawned on her, and she slapped a hand to her forehead.

"Oh! I forgot!" she exclaimed. Her relief at not having been rejected was readily apparent.

He gave her an apologetic smile, "Me too. I shouldn't have said that. I wasn't thinking."

The girl shook her head in mock disapproval, and he chuckled at her antics.

"So...you _do_ like me, though?' she checked, looking hopeful as she bounced on her toes.

Adrien chuckled disbelievingly, "That's an understatement."

Her responding grin was blinding.

They stayed outside the rest of the time, talking about everything and nothing all at once. He learned that Marinette, ironically, had always wanted a cat. It hadn't worked out because her parents were too busy with the bakery to take care of an animal.

Marinette learned that Adrien always wanted someone to cuddle with, but his father wasn't the type and Chloe's grip was a bit too tight. It led into a discussion about his mother, and how she used to hold him close, even when he was a bit too big to fit in her lap.

Marinette's eyes teared up at the thought of Adrien sitting alone and wishing his mother were there to hug him. She tugged him close and buried her face in his shirt. He was surprised, but never tensed at the contact.

"I'll hug you whenever you want, okay?" she mumbled, voice muffled by the fabric of his shirt. Adrien smiled and kissed the top of her head.

It was then that Alya and Nino emerged from the theater, obviously in search of their friends. They froze upon seeing the complete and utter lack of space between their friends, and they both shrieked in response to the little kiss he placed on her head.

Adrien and Marinette jumped apart at the sudden noise, and relaxed upon seeing that it was just their friends.

"Wow, Adrien! I thought you'd chicken out for sure! Congrats," Nino remarked, giving Adrien an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Alya waggled her eyebrows at her friend, "I thought you two looked a little cozy in the theater."

Marinette smiled a bit too widely, "Y-Yeah, we decided to come out here to talk things through."

Alya's grin stretched even wider, and she gave Marinette a conspiratorial wink.

"We'll talk," the blogger promised, though it sounded more like a threat.

The girl laughed nervously and gestured in the general direction of her house, "It's late though, I think I'm going to head home."

Adrien threaded his fingers through hers and offered her a charming smile, "I'll walk you."

Nino nodded his approval, "Yeah, better not to walk by yourself. It's late."

Alya's teasing demeanor was gone as she agreed. "See you later, Adrien. See you tomorrow morning, Marinette!" she called over her shoulder as she and Nino headed down the street.

The pigtailed girl giggled and waved to her friend, "Okay!"

Once they were out of earshot, Adrien turned to her with a questioning look. "What did she mean by 'we'll talk'?" he asked.

Marinette rolled her eyes, "She wants all the details. I guess I'll have to make something up, since I can't tell her what we actually talked about."

Adrien frowned, "I'm sorry you have to lie to your friend."

The girl shook her head, "It's to keep you safe. I'll... I'll tell her that we kissed in the theater and I pulled you out so that we could talk about our feelings. If that's okay! I mean, I understand if-"

The blond nodded in affirmation, "That's fine. It would explain why I was so close to you back there."

She laughed nervously, "Y-Yeah, exactly."

He gave her a wistful smile, "I wish it were true. I'd love it if I could actually kiss you."

Marinette sighed dreamily, clasping her hands under her chin as she nodded perhaps a bit too enthusiastically.

The dark haired girl practically floated the remainder of the way home, blissfully conscious of their joined hands. He chuckled at the way she paused just to give him a smile.

They arrived at her doorstep, and he smiled fondly when she gave him an expectant stare. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered that he couldn't kiss her goodnight, and she awkwardly babbled out something that made no sense.

He gently placed both hands on her shoulders to steady her, and she lapsed into silence.

"We'll make this work, Marinette. If you want it to, that is," he assured her.

"I do want us to work," she replied seriously.

She stilled as he leaned forward until their noses were touching and their breath was mingling. He placed a careful kiss on the tip of her nose and then leaned his forehead against hers.

"Then we'll make it work, Princess," he promised.

It was a promise well kept.


End file.
